The festive season officially begins at Hillmount Garden Centre on Friday 25 November when the store in the Castlereagh Hills opens its doors exclusively to ladies who want to stock up on surprise stocking fillers for the men in their lives. For women who like to shop uninterrupted, they can browse the extensive displays of Christmas trees and decorations leisurely with a glass of mulled wine in hand while bagging specially discounted gifts for all the family, sampling delicious festive food and they’ll even get a sneak peek inside the Grotto, home to Santa for the next few weeks!

On Saturday 26 November, Santa arrives to take up residence Santa’s Grotto which has grown over the years to be one of the largest in Ireland. Santa won’t be alone though as he’ll be joined by Carolyn Stewart of U105 to spread Christmas cheer. Santa’s Parade begins with his special guests at 12 noon and children can visit the reindeer, donkeys and pygmy goats who are staying at Hillmount until Christmas Eve.

Alan Mercer of Hillmount Garden Centre, said: “As a family we’ve been providing children with a really unique experience for more than 75 years at Hillmount and this year we’ve redeveloped our grotto to include a movie theatre to entertain the children while they wait their turn to see Santa. We usually have more than 10,000 visitors every year in the run up to Christmas to it’s important that we offer families a truly magical and enjoyable visit which they will remember for years to come.”

Christmas Trees and Decorations at Hillmount Garden Centre

Breakfast With Santa and Supper With Santa start on 3 December and run until 23 December. For families with pets, Santa’s Grotto for Pets is open on Christmas Eve.